Art and Audience: The Rise of the Art Gallery (Early Modern Art and Architecture in Southern Europe)

Caravaggio [Michelangelo Merisi] (1571-1610), Italian 

Calling of Saint Matthew, ca. 1599 (Rome, Contarelli Chapel, Church of San Luigi dei Francesi) 

Describe the characteristics of baroque art

deviant art that transgresses boundaries, theatricality, movement, and emotion

Describe the story behind the calling of saint Matthew

Jesus was walking and saw Matthew so he took him with him to eat with sinners and tax collectors, there Matthew was called to be a disciple

Describe the composition of the calling of saint Matthew and its significance

space ambiguous, setting=rome of Caravaggio, contrast with light and dark: chiaroscuro, diagonal of light=tenebrism, eyes drawn to parts with light= illuminate men at the table, action shown with gestures: Christs hand and bearded mans hand point to Matthew, shows emotion, borrowed from the Creation of Adam=underscores depiction of moment before Matthew realizes he is called and artists dialogue

Describe the figures in the calling of saint Matthew and its significance

Christ enters from the right: slight halo and arm out, view blocked by man=St.Peter, his hand mimics Christ, some dressed nice, some disheveled, financial transaction taking place=look at Christ with doubt and surprise, youth counting money=moment before Matthew realizes his call

Caravaggio [Michelangelo Merisi] (1571-1610), Italian 

Entombment of Christ, ca. 1603 (Rome, Vatican Pinacoteca) 

Describe the composition of the Entombment of Christ and its significance

altarpiece, dramatic: mourners piled on diagonal, slab juts out=void, emerge from black background, rugged natural style, about to throw Christ in our direction=Eucharistic theme

Describe the figures in the entombment of Christ and its significance

common people, Christ: body limp and lifeless, struggle to grip Christ, no shroud, fingers on christ’s wound, Christs body=down to earth and human

Caravaggio [Michelangelo Merisi] (1571-1610), Italian 

Victorious Cupid (Amor Vincit Omnia), ca. 1602 (Berlin, Staatliche Gemäldegalerie) 

What is the message of Victorious Cupid

shows contempt for world: mocks human achievements with objects on the floor: he is above them, they are powerless compared to his Eros

Describe the figure of Victorious Cupid and its significance

young boy: baby face, huge wings, balancing ambiguity=unease, hand mischievous behind back, holds arrows=wounds of love, wing tip sensuous on thigh=point to genitals=highlight with light, eyes: dare us to look away and resist, intense realism and naturalism

Artemisia Gentileschi (1593-1653), Italian 

Susanna and the Elders, 1610 (Pommersfelden, Schloss Weissenstein) 

Describe the story behind Susanna and the Elders and its significance

accosted by veuyers, she refused them, the male elders were killed and she triumphed, biblical tale=rationalize depicting nude in the past

Describe the composition of Susanna and the Elders and its significance

emphasize vulnerability and distress: twisting body and gestures-like Eve and Adam when they were expelled from paradise, shows her anguish and refusal=victimized woman

Gianlorenzo Bernini (1598-1680), Italian 

David, ca. 1623 (Rome, Galleria Borghese) 

Describe the context of the artist of David

Bernini: drawn to dramatic sculptures, extensive study of past sculptors, stake his claim as the sculptor of the 17th century

Describe the composition of the David and its significance

broken out of compositional model of Michelangelo: in motion/action in progress, winding up to throw: dynamic pose, frozen mid-motion, twist torso, naturalistic, face contrasts to Michelangelo: scowl, hair shorter and accentuate scowl, brow furrowed, intense concentration

Describe the role of the viewer in David

role of spectator: looks past us, in middle of action, pre-determined view of figure=optimal dynamic impact, central view

Gianlorenzo Bernini (1598-1680), Italian 

Apollo and Daphne, ca. 1623 (Rome, Galleria Borghese) 

Describe the story behind Apollo and Daphne and its significance

Apollo struck by Cupid’s love arrow, Daphne struck with lead arrow, he chases her and she begs with her father to become a tree=very difficult to depict

Describe the composition of Apollo and Daphne and its significance

Moment when she just starts to transform: bark on legs and sprouting root, fingers=twigs=mix of texture, Daphne hair whips around: textured, delicate branches and leaves=assisted by other sculptor, faces reveal changing states: Daphne frozen/wooden, rough bark encircle her legs: Apollos hand on bark=chisel marks show texture, seems alive and turning into bark=double transformation, activated and borrowed from antiquity